FORTY-SEVEN

"Run!"

The others didn't need to be told twice. As the Midgarsormyr shot toward us as if it had been fired from a cannon, I leaned forward in the saddle and urged my chocobo into a gallop. Aerith gripped me tightly around the waist as the giant snake closed in fast behind us. Barret and Tifa raced toward the line of trees just past the southern end of the lake while Red sprinted just ahead of us. And in the midst of the chase, rain started to fall from the dark, overcast sky.

As we splashed across the muddy ground, the wind picked up, and the rain started to fall faster. There was a rumble of thunder not too far away, but it wasn't loud enough to drown out the Midgarsormyr's deep, roaring hiss as it closed in. I glanced behind us and saw it slither out of the lake barely fifty yards away, its fangs bared.

I whipped my head around a moment later when Tifa suddenly let out a startled cry. Her chocobo had run right into a wide patch of mud that must've looked more solid than it was. The bird went down with a loud squawk, and Tifa shrieked as she flew forward over the chocobo's head. She was able to right herself in midair, getting her hands and feet under her, but she still came down waist-deep in the mud with a splat, sinking right into it as soon as she landed.

Tifa's chocobo wasn't any better off as she struggled to pull herself free from the muck. Barret had managed to stay on, but quickly got off and made it firmer ground as I brought my own bird around and raced back toward them, calling to Red as I did. When Aerith and I got close, I jumped right off and quickly grabbed Tifa's outstretched hands. She'd sunk further in, and now the stuff was halfway up her chest. I pulled as hard as I could while Aerith and Red threw spell after spell at the giant snake to slow it down and cover us.

While Barret fought to free his and Tifa's chocobo, I pulled harder to try and get Tifa out. But the ground was slick, and I began to slide as the rain came down faster. I had to crouch to reach her now, and as she fought to escape the muck, it pulled her further in, nearly down to her neck, even as I tried to lift her out of it. I risked a quick glance over my shoulder and saw the Midgarsormyr looming right behind us, lunging at Aerith and Red with unbelievable speed.

There was a flash of green light from the middle of Red's feathered headdress as he unloaded on the snake with a blast of cold from the Ice materia he'd gotten from Tifa earlier in our journey. It was the one that she'd been using, but she'd wanted to give the Enemy Skill materia a try and see what it was like. So she and Red had swapped orbs for a while. We'd also bought another one before leaving Kalm, and as Aerith rode our chocobo, she made good use of it.

As thunder split across the sky and a forking bolt of lightning blew apart one of the nearby trees, Aerith lifted her staff high with her right hand while holding the reins with the left, and the ground underneath the Midgarsormyr suddenly rose up in a small earthquake. Heavy slabs of rock struck it on all sides as Aerith let loose with her Earth materia's magic while Red kept hitting it with ice. The snake was huge and tough and barely even flinched, though. It just kept coming, biting at them as it lashed its huge tail around like a whip.

But what got my attention at that moment was the patch of ground where Aerith had cast her spell. It had been wet and muddy before, but now, after its upheaval by the magic, it was dryer and firmer. Suddenly I had an idea, and as I fought to hold onto Tifa, I looked at Aerith, who was still riding our chocobo around the area and firing off spells at the snake while Red jumped and tore at it with his claws. As he and Aerith fought to hold that monster back, they avoided its own attacks as much as they could amidst the wind and rain.

"Aerith!" I shouted. "Your earth magic! It'll dry the ground! I need it to get Tifa outta here! Hurry!"

She turned toward us. "On my way! I'll—"

Before she could finish, the snake's tail suddenly slammed into her side, cutting her off and throwing her off the chocobo. She shrieked as she flew through the air and landed in a tangled heap on the ground. I shifted my gaze between her and Tifa, worried about both of them. As I shook the falling rain out of my eyes and struggled to pull Tifa out of the deep pool of sucking mud, Aerith got up and hurried over. Behind her, the snake flinched and hissed as Red hit it with another blast of ice magic before laying into it again with his claws.

"You okay?" I asked Aerith as she knelt down alongside me.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. We've gotta get Tifa and the other chocobo outta there."

"Hurry!" Tifa called.

The mud was past her shoulders now, and she'd sunk down almost to her jaw. Holding her staff out in front of her, Aerith concentrated on her Earth materia and directed it at the pool of muck that was trapping Tifa and her chocobo. The ground shifted and churned, exploding in a blast of rock and dirt. And just like I'd hoped, the spell broke Tifa loose almost at once, practically throwing her onto me as her chocobo let out a warbling cry and escaped with Barret's help. When I pulled Tifa free, I fell backward, and she landed on top of me.

She looked up as a shadow fell across us. "Look out!"

Before I knew it, Tifa was pulling me into a sideways roll just as the Midgarsormyr's tail slammed down onto the spot where we'd been just a moment ago. Then we quickly rolled back in the other direction as it came down again, mud splashing and dirt flying all around us. A third strike just barely missed us while Aerith got to her feet and threw more spells at the snake to try and drive it back.

Then I heard Barret unloading with his gun-arm from atop his and Tifa's chocobo. "Have some'a this, asshole!"

"We can't stay here!" Aerith warned, back on ours again.

"To the trees!" Red yelled.

I started to get up, but then stopped as the Midgarsormyr suddenly rose up nearly to its full height and started spinning its body around in slow circles, its eyes fixed on us. A red glow started to surround it, and I felt the air get hot around me. What was going on? Tifa saw it as well, then gasped in sudden understanding.

"Cloud, get down!" she ordered. "Hurry!"

"What!?" I blinked.

She pulled me back onto the ground. "Just do it! Trust me!"

"The hell you two waitin' for!?" Barret shouted in between blasts of gunfire. "Move your asses, guys!"

"Go! Get outta range, now!" Tifa told him.

Aerith nodded. "C'mon, Barret! Red! Do what she says!"

Red looked at the burning glow. "I see it! Run!"

While they did as Tifa had said, bolting for the trees as fast as they could, Tifa grabbed me and rolled us over again until I was the one on the ground this time. She was on top of me, completely covering me as I lay there on my stomach and braced myself for whatever was coming. As the heat intensified, Tifa clung tightly to me.

Seconds later, I heard thunder in my ears as a fiery cyclone erupted all around us, bright orange flames scorching the ground and the reeds in all directions. But somehow, they didn't touch us. I felt the heat wash over us and the sweat on our skin, and so did Tifa, but even though we were in the heart of the storm, the fire never burned us. I didn't have a clue how or why, and I didn't care. All that mattered was that somehow we were both alive and unharmed amidst the blazing inferno sweeping all around us. Something was keeping us safe.

"Ready to rock?" the gatekeeper asked.

I pumped my fist. "Bring it on!"

He hit the switch, and the gate slid open. "Try not to die. That first win of yours is what's called beginner's luck. But this round won't be so easy. Let's see if you're as tough as they say."

"Watch and learn," I winked.

Then I headed into the tunnel and down to the arena. Like before, I waited at the far end for a minute while Kotch and Scotch announced me to the crowd. I'd returned to the waiting area after the first round to rest until my next match, and although I didn't know who I'd be facing, it didn't matter. I was gonna win. I had to.

Scotch started things off. "For the second match in our spectacular semifinals, we're proud to present the Dame of Destruction herself, the fiery femme fatale of Wall Market!"

Kotch continued. "Luck's on her side tonight!"

"And ours!" Scotch boomed. "So put your hands together and give a shout for our ass-kicking local legend!"

"The one we all know as…" Kotch began.

They both said my name together. "Firebraaaand!"

With a grin, I walked into the arena and waved at the crowd. Most of them cheered me on gladly, the roar filling the whole place, but I did hear a few spectators complaining about how I'd lost them money. The gambling was still going on, of course, but I'd heard that even though I was new to the coliseum, most people favored me to win thanks to my successes at the Shinra Building and in the sewers.

"And here are her opponents!" Kotch announced, motioning to the gate across from me. "Ruthless reavers of the scrapyard, these boys are thieves and killers through and through!"

"The worst of the worst!" Scotch agreed, mic in hand. "Ladies and gentlemen, check your pockets, because they may have already robbed you blind! They put the crime in criminal!"

Kotch went on. "The most contemptible sons of bitches this side of Wall Market—they're Beck's Badasses!"

Beck? As in those idiots Lena and I had run into out on the ruined expressway a few years ago? I had to stifle a laugh when he and his two buddies sauntered into the arena, still wearing those ridiculous pointed gray masks like some weird fashion statement. They were all armed, of course, but they didn't look any brighter than the last time we'd met. As soon as they got a nice, good look at me, their eyes went wide and they froze in their tracks. I just smirked.

"Well, hello, boys!" I taunted. "Remember me?"

Burke gulped. "Hey, it's her!"

Beck stumbled back a step. "Shit! Nobody said you was Firebrand! Uh, not that it's gonna make a difference. Still gonna feed you your just desserts, bitch! So you'd better open wide, 'cause you're gettin' a heapin' helpin' of pain, courtesy of Beck's Badasses!"

"Hey, what do 'just desserts' taste like?" Butch asked.

"Like justice! Like payback!" Beck snarled.

Just then, plumes of smoke erupted all around them, and five more thugs emerged, all with knives or clubs and all wearing masks like Beck and his pals. I wasn't surprised, and even though I was outnumbered, I wasn't worried. I'd faced a lot worse when I'd infiltrated the Vice gang's hideout a few months ago. And that had been without all my new gear. As I stood in the arena with Beck and his gang, I knew exactly what to do and when. This was gonna be fun.

"What's this?" Scotch shouted out to the crowd. "Who might these unscrupulous-looking gentlemen be?"

Kotch joined him. "Seems like there are actually eight members of Beck's Badasses! The odds are overwhelmingly stacked against our fair heroine! This could be a real bloodbath!"

Scotch eagerly continued. "So I implore you, ladies and gentlemen, don't look away for a second, or you'll miss the best part! Can tonight's favorite, our lovely challenger, beat the odds?"

"We'll find out!" Kotch finished. "Because the second match of the Trio's Tournament semifinals… begins now!"

Beck and his thugs spread out as Kotch and Scotch moved back to the side next to the wall and out of the way. I let the gang surround me as I stood there, completely unfazed, and didn't even draw my weapons yet. Better to let them think they were still in control. Then I'd let them know they weren't even close. Painfully.

"Bringing in a little backup, are we?" I smirked.

Beck waved his dagger threateningly at me. "We've been approved by the whole damn Trio themselves!"

"Funny," I chuckled, hands on my hips. "So have I."

I knew that Andrea and the others would only have allowed this if they were sure I could beat them. And I knew I would. As Beck and his buddies closed in, I let my hands fall to my sides and readied myself to move. I still kept my weapons holstered, though, as I stood there in the middle of the net they thought they had me in.

Burke glanced nervously at Beck. "Bitch don't seem worried, boss. I don't like it. It seems, uh… uh… fes… fuss…"

"Fetch?" Butch blinked.

"Fishy, you morons!" Beck growled. "It seems fishy!"

Butch nodded stupidly. "Yeah, yeah, that's it! Fishy! Um, what's that mean? She doesn't smell like fish…"

Beck rolled his eyes. "It means suspicious, idiot!"

"Oh, yeah," Burke agreed. "Suspi… suspec… ah, forget it!"

"We gotcha outnumbered, baby!" Beck sneered at me. "It's payback time! So whatcha got to say about that?"

I lifted a finger and winked. "Just one word."

"And what's that?" he asked.

"Psych!" I taunted.

Before they could react, I slapped my left glove switch and gave the gang a little wave as I disappeared amidst a grid of shimmering orange energy. They scrambled toward me, but I was already moving, darting around them and hitting them one after another with kicks and even a few solid punches—I hadn't forgotten what I'd learned from Tifa. They slashed and swung their weapons around but missed every time. I kept moving, using hit and run attacks to keep them off balance as long as I could and take a few thugs outta the fight.

"Whoa!" Kotch boomed. "Now you see her, now you don't!"

Scotch kept it up as I fought. "Firebrand's pulled quite a fast one on Beck and his gang! Three of the Badasses are already down! She's truly the Invisible Woman, ladies and gentlemen!"

I grabbed one thug from behind and swept his feet out from under him, then raced over to another and threw him over my shoulder. The gang—or what was left of it—was yelling and swarming all over trying to find me. After driving a booted foot into Beck's stomach and hitting Burke with backhand punch, I rushed away, watching in amusement as they nearly clobbered each other trying to get me. Then I let my hands drift down to my weapon hilts as I moved to where I wanted to be and my invisibility finally began to wear off.

"There she is!" Butch pointed excitedly when he saw me.

"Get her!" Beck snarled.

I laughed, drew my weapons, and switched them on, all in a single fluid motion. Five men swarmed around me, but I fended them all off with barely an effort, spinning and dodging my way across the arena as they cut and swung at me with knives, spiked clubs, and even fists. My suit softened the few blows that did get through, deflecting most of the damage, and I easily kept on fighting.

Beck pulled out a second knife. "Time for some pain, baby!"

"Let's dance," I shot back with a smirk.

When the firestorm had subsided, Tifa and I didn't move at first. I was still a bit surprised to be alive after all that, and as I looked around, I saw just how lucky we were. The ground around us was scorched and blackened, and the reeds and cattails nearby were still smoldering. Tifa relaxed a little, and we sprang to our feet as the rain kept falling around us and the Midgarsormyr loomed overhead.

I reached behind my shoulder for Buster, but then Aerith raced in, stretching her arm out as soon as she got close. "Guys! You're alive! Get on, hurry! Before the snake attacks again!"

Barret rode up alongside her and unloaded on it with his gun-arm. "Move your asses, you two! I'll cover ya!"

I jumped onto the chocobo behind Aerith while Tifa joined Barret on theirs, and Red ran ahead of us toward the trees as fast as he dared, weaving his way through the marshy ground. With the snake slithering and hissing not far behind us, we followed after Red, trusting him and the chocobos to quickly find us a safe path. I hoped the Midgarsormyr wouldn't follow us into the trees, but it seemed determined to catch us. Aerith had to jerk our chocobo sharply to the right as the snake's head suddenly came down, its jaws snapping at us.

The Midgarsormyr kept coming, slithering easily through the trees with blinding speed as they flew past us in a blur. I didn't have any idea what all the different kinds were. I didn't know much about any of that back then. We could hardly see, so I reached into one of the saddlebags and took out one of our flashlights. There wasn't any point in not using it now since the snake already knew where we were. I flipped it on and shone the light ahead of us as I blinked the rain outta my eyes and saw Tifa doing the same thing on her chocobo.

As we went on, the ground became more solid again, though there were still pools, wet spots, and patches of oozing mud here and there. I kept an eye on the path ahead to make sure we didn't have another fall, but the chocobos seemed more sure of their way now. They made their way forward with care even as they ran, and together with Red took us safely through the maze of trees, rain, muck, and water. The wind blew loudly through the swamp, its howling not quite drowning out the dry hissing of the snake as it kept chasing us.

But eventually, it fell behind, unable to keep up with the chocobos' speed. And then it was gone, fading back into the night. As we rode on, I looked behind us at the empty marshes, glad we'd finally escaped that thing. We slowed down, but only a little, keeping up a steady pace for a while to put as much distance between us and the Midgarsormyr as we could. The long miles went on in silence.

Soon enough, the storm lessened and the thunder faded away into a quiet stillness. It kept raining, though, slowing down to a light drizzle as the wind died down around us to a soft breeze. The clouds still hung thick overhead, though, and I could tell that the rain wasn't gonna stop anytime soon. Not until at least sometime tomorrow. Hopefully we'd be outta the marshes by the time it did.

After riding for about an hour with no sign of the snake, we finally stopped to rest in a small clearing filled with reeds and tall grass. After we'd tethered the birds, tying the reins to a nearby tree, we all sat down for a while, Aerith using her healing wind to tend to our injuries while Tifa helped with the Restore materia. Then they joined us as we caught our breath in a loose circle under the night sky.

"Damn…" Barret shuddered. "Guess that thing's real after all. An' I s'pose we owe Bill—an' them birds—our lives."

"No kidding," I agreed.

Aerith let out a long, relieved sigh and grinned. "If we ever go back to the Chocobo Farm, I'm gonna give him and his grandkids a big hug! They really did save us tonight, guys."

"We're not outta the marshes yet," I reminded her.

"I know," she said. "But we've gotta think positive, Cloud. We made it this far and escaped from that big bad snake! Only one more day left to go and we'll be clear of this dreadful place."

Tifa nodded. "We'll make it."

"Speakin'a that," Barret looked at her. "How'd you guys survive that blast, whatever the hell it was?"

"I really thought we'd lost you!" Aerith added.

I glanced at Tifa. "I'm curious myself. You knew what to do, saved us both. How was it the fire didn't hurt us?"

She took off one of her new gloves. "Domino's gift."

"The blaze ring…" I murmured.

"Damn, I forgot all 'bout that!" Barret exclaimed.

Tifa smiled and held up her hand, the ring glittering on her finger. "Completely protects whoever wears it from any kind of fire, normal or magical. Guess we know it works now."

He laughed. "That was one helluva test, girl!"

"And by covering me, you made sure the ring's power protected us both," I said, understanding. "Thanks, Tifa."

"Anytime," she said, putting her glove back on.

Red yawned, showing off a lot of sharp teeth. "Very resourceful, if I may say so. And quite fortunate that you had the ring. I'm relieved that you both are unharmed. Now, with that settled, I suggest that we make camp for the night and start fresh in the morning."

"Oh, and that's not all," Tifa added, showing us her right glove and tapping the yellow Enemy Skill materia sitting in its slot near her wrist. "Getting hit by that blast gave us a little bonus."

"What do you mean?" Aerith asked.

Tifa grinned. "Firestorm. What that snake can do, the materia can learn. And it did. Which means…"

Aerith's eyes widened. "Now we can use it, too!"

"Well, ain't that somethin'," Barret marveled. "Got us a way to toast our enemies real good! Though I'm bettin' it takes a lotta energy to use that thing. Best to save it 'till we really need it."

"Good idea," Tifa agreed.

Aerith chuckled. "One more trick in our arsenal!"

I nodded. "Yeah. Oughta be useful."

Once we'd all rested for a bit, we set up camp as Red had suggested, risking a small fire to dry ourselves off a bit. Aerith and Tifa also made a bit of food while Barret and I got the tents up. The rain had slackened enough that there wasn't any chance of it putting out the fire before we were done with it, so we settled in for the night.

General Affairs was in one of the underground levels of the Shinra Building, and I knew it inside and out. I was standing in the bathroom, looking proudly at myself in the mirror as I adjusted my jet black tie. It was a nice, snug fit. Like my new suit. Dark blue, crisp, and clean, with a neatly pressed white button-down shirt and shiny black dress shoes. I grinned at my reflection as I straightened my short blond hair. Anyone who called it boyish was gonna get a fist to the mouth. I'd been waiting a long time for this, and now it was here.

Satisfied, I left the bathroom and headed back down the hall to the conference room. Reno and Rude were still there, watching some fight on the large TV mounted on one wall. I'd heard about the tournament in Wall Market but hadn't given it much thought. I'd been busy getting ready for my new duties and hadn't wanted to be distracted. And more than anything, I wanted to impress Tseng.

Reno was reclining on the sofa again, still bruised but looking like he was healing. "Lookin' good, Elena."

"Thanks," I said. "You still look like shit, though."

"No argument there," he laughed.

I smiled a little in return and sat down at the table. Though I didn't understand how he and Rude could just buck orders and be so flippant about their job sometimes, I still liked them. And I was determined to earn their respect and succeed as a Turk.

To help pass the time, I went over the notes I'd jotted down earlier about our upcoming assignments and watched the tournament a little. It was the second round, semifinals, and that girl they called Firebrand was nicely holding her own against a pack of idiot thugs who wouldn't have lasted ten seconds against the Turks. The camera was zoomed out at the moment to show the whole arena, so I couldn't see her face, but I was still able to follow her as she fought.

There was something vaguely familiar about it, but at first, I didn't know what it could be. The girl was good, though. And I found myself silently rooting for her. I watched as she dropped another of the goons with a spinning cartwheel kick to the face before swiping another one's club out of his hands with those glowing orange energy blades of hers. But before she could do anything else, another thug—a huge, muscular and grungy bandit with dark, greasy hair and a white mask—suddenly grabbed her from behind, holding her tight.

There was a sudden gasp from the crowd as that big thug lifted her right off her feet, pinning her arms against her and making her lose her grip on her weapons. They clattered to the floor as the other three guys who were still standing lunged toward her, knives and clubs raised and ready to beat her into a bloody pulp.

"Could this be the end for Firebrand?" one of the two announcers, the one with the mohawk—Kotch, I remembered—said. "Beck and his remaining Badasses seemingly have her trapped!"

The other one, the guy in green—Scotch—continued. "Can she get out? Or has she finally met her match?"

Kotch took over. "I almost don't wanna look!"

"But we can't resist!" Scotch added.

Then, as the girl kept struggling in the huge thug's grip, the camera zoomed in on her up close. When it did, I let out a gasp of my own and shot to my feet, hardly able to believe what I was seeing. But there was no denying it. I recognized her, had met her before. And as I watched, I worried for her, for my friend. I almost didn't notice Tseng as he came in and joined us a moment or two later.

"I know her!" I exclaimed, my eyes widening.

Reno sat up. "What? You serious?"

I nodded, not looking away from the screen. "Met her once back in Wall Market a few months ago in the bar. She was trying to get intel on the Vice gang. She got what she needed, but some of those brutes went after her. We took them down together."

It was Jessie, alright. I recognized her face and that reddish-brown hair of hers, though she had it up in a high ponytail now. And I hoped she'd find a way out of that thug's grasp before it was too late. I couldn't look away, and I forgot all about my notes as I watched the fight. As the other goons closed in, Jessie acted fast. She kicked one in the face, then as cheers erupted from the crowd, she whipped her leg back and drove her foot hard into the grungy bandit's knee.

He staggered and stumbled backward, loosening his grip on her. It was all she needed. Jessie tore one of her arms loose, then elbowed him in the gut and slammed the back of her head into his nose. It burst like a broken hydrant, and he dropped her right away, roaring in pain. The crowd kept cheering as Jessie used her momentum to spring right onto her hands and grab his head with her feet. He tried to pry her off again and again, but she had him locked up good and tight. Then she pulled him down hard onto the floor with a yell.

"In-freaking-credible!" Kotch boomed. "Firebrand's really bringing the house down tonight, folks! And the Badasses!"

"What an amazing escape by our heroine!" Scotch shouted.

Jessie quickly rolled aside as the other three thugs rushed in at her again, grabbed her weapons while still moving, and sprang to her feet, easily dodging their clumsy attacks as she did. That grungy bandit also managed to get up, though he didn't look very steady on his feet. Jessie was surrounded again, but she just smirked. Then she jumped into the air, her arms stretched out to either side, and spun around, throwing a bright circle of orange energy at her opponents from her light daggers, and all the thugs went flying onto their backs.

More cheers from the audience. Two of Jessie's opponents stood up again, but the other two—including the big grungy bandit—didn't, and I knew they were outta the fight. And that she'd win the match. She was a lot stronger than I remembered, though she'd still been a pretty good fighter even when we'd first met. Jessie held off her opponents with her weapons for a bit until she'd driven them back enough, then turned off her light daggers, holstered them, and reached into the large pouch she wore on her left hip and took out a grenade.

It was like the one I'd seen her use against that Vice punk Tremmel, only smaller, and I realized that she must've made some nonlethal ones to use against opponents that she didn't necessarily wanna kill but only incapacitate. Still purple and red like the more deadly variety, though. I remembered just how strong those were. Just one had nearly torn apart the alley we'd left Tremmel in that that night.

"Got one more word for ya!" Jessie said as she held up the grenade and taunted Beck and the other thug.

He took a nervous step back. "W-What is it?"

Jessie winked. "Boom."

Then, before either of her opponents could get away, she pulled the pin and threw the grenade at their feet. It exploded on impact, hurling them across the arena until they crashed hard onto the floor. This time, they stayed down, groaning and saying something about playing dead. Jessie just laughed and stood triumphantly with her hands on her hips as the crowd went wild around her. I couldn't resist a little smile of my own, as happy as I was for my friend.

"Un-freaking-believable!" Kotch exclaimed. "What the hell did we just see? Talk about an explosive finish!"

Scotch was just as enthusiastic. "It was one against… against… uh, I don't really remember how many, but it was a lot! And somehow, our challenger emerged victorious despite the odds!"

Kotch agreed. "She totally blew Beck and his Badasses away!"

"Literally!" Scotch added.

"And the winner of our match is…" Kotch began.

They finished together. "Firebraaand!"

Somehow, I wasn't really surprised that Jessie was the infamous girl who'd given that pig Don Corneo a good kick in the ass a few years ago and escaped. If anyone could've done it, then it would've have been her. I hoped she'd stick around Wall Market for a bit after the tournament. I had some time before my first assignment and thought that I might go and visit her before I left. Out of uniform, of course. She didn't know I was a Turk yet, and I didn't want that to hurt our friendship. I'd tell her sooner or later, though. Once I'd figured out how.

"Knew she'd pull it off," Reno laughed.

Rude nodded. "She's a survivor. She'll win it all."

I glanced at him. "I know she will. Jessie's tough. But… how do you guys know about her? Have you met her?"

"Once, a long time ago," Reno sighed. "And then…"

"In the Sector 7 pillar," Rude finished.

My eyes widened. "The pillar? But if she was up there, and she was fighting, then… that would mean…"

"She's in Avalanche," Tseng confirmed.

I sank back into my chair, horrified both at the news and at what it meant. Jessie was part of Avalanche. Which meant she was our enemy. She'd been a little evasive about what she did for a living when I'd asked her, but no more than me, so I hadn't blamed her. And now… I knew. I hated it, but at the same time, I couldn't ignore my responsibilities as a Turk. And that could mean fighting her. Fighting my friend. It was my job, my duty. And I wasn't gonna back away from it.

"Sucks, I know," Reno grimaced, giving me an apologetic shrug. "I ain't exactly happy about it myself."

Tseng closed his eyes for a moment. "She's alive…"

"Good," Rude said.

"Ms. Heidegger doesn't seem to be one to die easily," Tseng replied as he gazed at the screen. "Fortunately."

I blinked. "Heidegger? As in the general?"

"Correct, Elena," Tseng said. "She's his daughter. Presumed dead. It was assumed she had died in the plate collapse. But it appears we were somewhat premature in that assessment."

"Then we need to report this!" I insisted.

He shook his head. "No."

I stared at him. "What? Why not?"

"It's personal," Tseng explained. "Nothing you need to worry about. And we have other, more pressing concerns."

"But we have a duty—" I began, shooting back to my feet.

He cut me off. "Not this time. If he finds out, it won't be from us. I owe Jessica that much, at least. Is that clear?"

I stood straight. "Yes, sir."

"Good," Tseng said. "We'll be leaving tomorrow to begin preparing for the assault on Fort Condor. Reno, you'll be going with the president to Junon as soon as you've finished recovering. Your weapon should be ready by then. We'll meet you there."

"Yeah, yeah…" Reno shrugged absently.

Rude and I nodded in confirmation of Tseng's orders. And while I was disappointed by what I'd found out about Jessie, I was determined to fulfill my duty. I'd do whatever it took to see our goals accomplished. And if that meant standing against her in a fight, then that was what I'd do. I didn't want to, but I didn't have a choice. She was my enemy now, part of Avalanche, and I was a Turk.

One way or another, I was gonna take her down.